Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsWorked excellently until it wiped out my phone and nearly caught fire.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 June 2023
Review was 5 stars. This worked very well for two years, sadly when it failed it nearly started a fire and destroyed my phone.
Loved this, so much (well, as much as one can love a portable charging device without it being weird). Could quick charge, trickle charge, charge two devices at the same time, multiple times before needing a refill. Went with me everywhere, got me out of many a situation when we needed power in a pinch, long haul flights, epic road trips, powercuts, the laziness of not being arsed to move near the plug... Maintained that ability right up until it failed, a little less lifespan, barely, but rarely got caught short. Quick charge mode was, indeed, quick, when enabled on compatible devices.
Felt solid in the hand, nicely finished and well constructed, with a crossweave tactile texture on the upper housing which was not only pleasing to look at, but gave a little grip when handling it.
Top surface has one round button, which when pressed once displays the current capacity via four blue LEDs around its upper edge, and when pressed twice in succession switches the charger to trickle charge mode, indicated by the first blue LED turning green, for items requiring less amperage, earbuds, smartwatches, or even trickle charging a phone to extend overall battery lifespan.
Business end has two USB A ports for charging of devices, a USB Micro-B and a USB C for charging the power bank itself.
A full charge from empty can take up to 10 hours, depending on the charger used, but that would fully charge my phone and tablet a couple of times each if needed.
Came with a net carrying pouch, which closed with a drawstring and plastic clip, and held the included cables nicely. Could even slip my phone in there while it was charging, with the connected cables poking out of the opening, very convenient if you're on the move a lot.
The cables are of good quality, with thick shielding and Anker branding. After two years I see very little wear. A USB Type A to C, and a USB Type A to Micro-B are included, IIRC.
Sadly, with it's self destruction (I'm glad I didn't leave it unattended for too long on this occasion) it took the phone it was charging with it (Samsung Galaxy). Powerbank was smoking and had swollen, phone was non-responsive, aside from showing an empty battery symbol until I unplugged it, never to show anything again. Original cable was used.
Reached out to support, and they offered me 15% off a new one, which are now almost twice what I paid for mine. I'll wait for a sale.
The only criticism I have of this I have for everyday use, is that the button felt a little flimsy. By no means awful, just by its design felt slightly weak, and towards its end of life would very occasionally not activate first time. I'm only saying this as I felt the need to find something negative to say, for the sake of balance! Oh yeah and it bricked my phone...
I still use, and will continue to use Anker products, when I can afford them. I have a pair of Motion+ which have been all over the world and are still going strong, several chargers, hubs, etc..
I will, however, be keeping an eye on the products and a little wary of leaving them out of sight now that this has happened, thankfully I was in the next room this time, and awake, but that could have been in my bag while travelling, or in the car, which would have potentially been far more dangerous.